Bigger Than Your Head

Bigger Than Your Head

Will the Real Fake Pinot Noir Please Stand Up?

Fredric Koeppel's avatar
Fredric Koeppel
Jan 26, 2012
∙ Paid

The "pinotgate" scandal is old news, but the settlement in the class-action suit occurred a few days ago.

Wine industry giants E&J Gallo and Constellation Brands agreed to a $2.1 million payout to consumers who purchased bottles of their inexpensive California wines filled with merlot and syrah passed off as pinot noir by a wily French entrepreneur. Tha…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Bigger Than Your Head to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Fredric Koeppel
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture